White attacker called Black victim racial slur before stabbing in KC: Court records
Witnesses to a fatal Independence Day stabbing outside a Kansas City gas station told detectives a white man called the victim a racial slur moments before killing him, according to court documents.
The attacker called the victim, a 42-year-old Black man named Jon Rone Jr., the N-word and casually used the slur “in a hateful and racially motivated tone” moments before the attack, the witnesses reportedly said.
The witness statements were described in an application for a search warrant filed in Jackson County Circuit Court by police investigating the killing.
Rone was stabbed just before 2:30 p.m. July 4 outside the Liquor Land gas station and convenience store at 14306 E. U.S. 40. in eastern Kansas City. Witnesses said Rone went inside the gas station bleeding from multiple stab wounds.
Several people performed CPR on Rone but he died at the scene.
Less than 30 minutes later, police arrested a suspect, a 36-year-old white man, a little under two miles away in Independence. The Star is not naming that man in this story because he has not been charged.
The man allegedly had in his possession a folding knife with an American flag painted on the handle, according to Jackson County court records. A test showed the presence of blood on the blade.
Investigation of July 4 stabbing
Detectives with the Kansas City Police Department obtained a court order to collect DNA samples from the 36-year-old suspect Wednesday. In an affidavit of probable cause for the search warrant, detectives wrote that two women they interviewed reported speaking with the killer moments before the attack.
Both said a stocky white man wearing a dirty T-shirt and blue shorts had approached them. One said he “began to hit on her,” and both described him repeatedly using a racial slur as he was asked to stop.
At one point, the man began to speak “disrespectfully” to Rone, the homicide victim, including by calling him the N-word. The men argued, the witnesses said, then walked to the east side of the business.
One witness said she saw the suspect throw the first punch. They fought, and Rone fell to the ground, she said. Then the killer pulled a knife from his right pocket and stabbed Rone in the torso.
Rone walked inside and reportedly said “he stabbed me,” before collapsing to the ground. He was pronounced dead by responding paramedics.
Also interviewed by detectives was a woman who identified herself as Rone’s girlfriend, according to court documents. She told police her boyfriend left the store to grab his hat and got into an argument with an unknown man.
She left the store for a moment when she heard her boyfriend being assailed by racial slurs, according to court documents, and asked Rone to come back inside. She said Rone appeared calm and told her to leave.
The girlfriend told police she did not witness the stabbing.
Suspect not positively identified
None of the eyewitnesses interviewed by detectives positively identified the man arrested as a suspect when police showed them a photo lineup on July 4.
One told police she was about 50% sure they had the right man, and a second said it was either him or another man featured in the lineup.
Online records showed a man of the same name and age was being held Monday on Kansas City municipal offenses in Vernon County since July 4, the day of the stabbing.
The killing marked the 102nd homicide in Kansas City so far in 2023, according to data maintained by The Star, which does not include police shootings.
Family set up an online fundraiser Thursday seeking donations to help pay for funeral services.
The Star’s Kevin Hardy and Natalie Wallington contributed to this report.
